This is the fifth part in a series of posts covering the best search engines available online for educators and teachers . If you haven’t read the previous posts then here is a brief summary of them , click on the title of each post to refer you back to its body .

Part One

Part two

1-SpecraSpecra is another interesting search engine that works on Google , Yahoo , MSN . Specra generates results from these three huge engines and puts them for you all in one single page .Specra ranks its results using a sophisticated algorithm ; the end result is improved quality of results for the query .” you can also assign weights to search engines to vary the importance given to their results .”

2-SperseSperse is like most of the other search engines we have seen till now . It offers a search based on

Images

Web

Video

News….etc

It also provides a preview icon for the search results so that you can literally see a “ snapshot” of the site before browsing to it .

3-SpezifySpezify is another search engine that looks like Sperse with a slight difference in that it has a unique surface and a special touch . The search results spezify provides are a mixture of images/ multimedia/ text……….etc.

SpuTTik is “ a free , web-based , collaborative Multilanguage operating system providing you all the best free online applications and websites. With online applications and services ( also known as web applications or web ware), you do not need to download or install anything . All the services will be directly available for you . These applications and services are cross- platform , running via your browser as a client irrespective of what operating system you are using .” definition taken from SpuTTik official website .

This is the fourth part in a series of posts devoted to Educative search engines. The aim behind these series is to provide educators and teachers with the necessary web2.0 tools to help them with the 21st century teaching . If you haven’t had a look at the previous parts , then here is a brief synopsis together with the links to refer you back to them

Search Cloud is a very interesting search engine . It is my favorite among them all .Simply type in your key word and click on any cloud link around . The more commonly used sites become larger and more prominently displayed . You can edit the search engines that appears around the search bar , and change the background and many other things .Learn more by reading How Search Clod Works

Search Motive is a human powered search engine. Results are provided by humans and not by crawlers . These results come from the most popular social networking and user-submitted content sites including Twitter, Diggy , Hulu , Flickr , Youtube , and many more .

Slidefinder is a search engine that is specialized towards Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and only indexes presentation . “ Slidefinder is the best way to find inspiration to your new slides . Nowhere else will you find a tool that helps you search for slides with some ease as Slidefinder .Some features of Slidefinder include :

This is the third post in a series of posts covering the most important search engines we , as educators, need to know about and use .In today’s post I will be talking about :Lavva , LeapFish, Oamos, Quintura . If you still haven’t read part one and two then here is a synopsis of what I covered in them , click on any title to refer you back to the post.

Part One

Part two

Lavva is a nice search engine with eye-catching visual features . It probably looks like a mixture of Wikipedia and Google . Lavva “ hopes to turn search into an interactive platform where every user can contribute to the richness of the experience and have the ability to influence content.” It has some interactive features like :

Leapfish is a very interesting search engine . It integrates sophisticated search technologies to enhance search results…..or as Leapfish put it “ we’ve created the first multi dimensional information aggregator and search portal in the world.”

Quintura is a search engine that resembles Wordle . It acts like a tag cloud or a mind map mixed together .” you can find the information you need by simply clicking the words in the cloud . When you point to a word , new words will appear to make your query more specific and help you receive results more relevant to context you search .

This is a follow up post to the 21st century search engines teacher must be aware of part 1 in which I talked about three search engines namely : Bing , Biographicon, and Cyclo.ps .In today’s post , I will be talking about another four search engines that are very important as far as education is concerned .1- ForestleForestle is a very nice search engine .It is not so much different from other search engines we have seen so far except that it promotes a very good cause which is that of the safeguard of the rain forst. Here is a snapshot oh a the search result I got for the key word web2.0

Goofram is a new mush-up that combines Google and Wolfram Alpha to provide a unique search service. Although it takes a bit longer to search Goofram because of the complicated calculations Alpha performs whenever a search query is launched , its results are very refined and to the point .3-Got

Got is a mush-p of Google blogs and Twitter . It is powered by Google and is very useful in staying updated about Twitter and search engine results .

Up to now , almost all of my posts have been around web2.0 tools and their applications in education . There are still many more to come on a daily basis .But would you please , my dear readers, excuse me to walk you through a series of posts ( probably 7 or 8 ) talking about the most important search engines educators, teachers and even students should be using . Being wholeheartedly convinced that the 21st century methodology in both teaching and learning has been radically transformed opening the door for a wider use of technology in the classroom , I try as hard as possible to help those who are still struggling to grab and comprehend and therefore apply the newest technologies into education . We can never live up to the 21st century expectations in the sphere of education if we do not really change our habits and accompany technology throughout the teaching/learning process . In this regard , Search engines are very important elements in the educational technology . They are just as important as the web2.0 tools I have been talking about here . To help you sift out the best search engines available online to use in your work and with your students , I have prepared a series of posts covering several educative search engines that experts in education consider as EXTREMLY useful for educators in general. The posts are linked in such a way to facilitate your navigation .

Bing is Microsoft new search engine . It has been released around 2009 and is still in beta version . It is a search engine that finds and organizes the answers you need so you can make faster and more informed decisions . Some of the features Bing provides include :

Biographicon is a site where you can search for a biography on anyone . It also allows its users to create their own biographies and edit them whenever they want . A simple and easy registration is all what you need to do to benefit from all their services .

Cyclo.ps is “an easy to use royalty free stock photo search engine , making it a one-stop shop for all your stock photography needs .”Cyclo.ps allows its users to control which browsers it searches through . You can also open a free account and collect and tag all your images . It is really a cool application that is worth trying .

Edutube is another resourceful site for educators . It has a collection of high quality educational videos. Edutube is mainly an educational video search platform which was launched in April 2008 . The aim behind the creation of this website is “ to organize the best free online educational videos , and make them easy for you to find , watch and download “. Edutube is more or less similar to SchoolTube in that they both focus on educational videos. If you haven’t heard about SchoolTube yet , then this is your opportunity to learn about it in SchoolTube in Education .

Some features of Edutube

Edutube has some very interesting features that might help you in your professional development in general . Among these features I can site :

It is free, simple to use and easy to navigate

It hosts the best educative videos based on criteria such as rank , popularity and educational value

Videos are searchable according to education- relevant search criteria

Edutube allows you to start your own group on a particular theme and edit your own submissions.

You can download your videos and watch them offline

How can I get started using Edutube ?

First go to Edutube main page and if you want to be able to upload your videos to edutube and create your own group then you need to sign up . If you just want to look for videos to download you don’t need to register .To find a specific video you need to :

Use the search box at the top left corner of the Edutube website

Use the sitemap in the top menu to find videos based on category , duration , language…..etc

Use the advanced search options to narrow down your search and specify your criteria. To do so , click on “ search options” .

Application of Edutube in Education

I personally think that edutube is one of the important resource that educators should have recourse to . You can use it to start your own group in which you invite your students and keep them updated with the educative videos you deem important in their learning . You can also use it to enrich your classroom teaching with some educative media to break the classroom monotony and enhance students comprehension .Edutube can also be a very important element in your professional development . Join groups of mutual interest and discuss with other educators and benefit from each other’s expertise .That’s it about Edutube in Education

I have always been a great fan of Google and never stopped exploring the endless possibilities it offers to educators . In this regard , I have come across a very useful application called Google Shared Spaces . A shared space lets you “ share a collaborative gadget with whoever you want and chat with them at the same time .“

Here are some other google services that you might also like to read :

How can I get started using Google Shared Spaces ?

Firs go to Google Shared Spaces main page and click on log in . You need to sign in using any of the supported login providers which are Google, Twitter, and Yahoo.Now that you are signed in you can start creating your space. As you can see , there are many gadgets out there you can browse different categories like games , polls, to find the gadget you want .After choosing a gadget , you will be directed to your newly created gadget space where you can ping the url to a friend or use the email / buzz/ tweet buttons to share it .

Here are some gadgets that we can use in education

1- Wave Tube

This service allows you to watch a video , add comments, and see other people watching it. You can use this gadget with your students. Upload a video and have them watch and comment on it ; you can also do a group discussion with them using the chat box on the right side of that page

2- Yes/ No/ May be Gadget

You can use this tool to organize question polls in your classrooms and have your students answer and add comments ( use the code snippet as example )

3- Concept Draw Mind Wave

This is a cool gadget to help you achieve a real-time collaborative mind mapping and brainstorming with your students

4- Listy

Use this tool to create to do lists , you can include the students in the participation of this list , after you are done , you can share, print or share it

5- Magnetic Fridge Poetry

This works pretty good with scrambled text activities . Add your text and let students drag and drop the words wherever they want .

These are just some samples of the gadgets I think you might benefit from in your classroom . Google still has many more to offer for educators and I will be posting about other google applications from time to time .If you stay updated and receive my posts right into your inbox , subscribe to my newsletter or join my facebook fan page .That’s it about Google Shared Spaces in Education .

Batlyrics is a wonderful web2.0 tool . It spices up teaching songs in the classroom and gives it another educative dimension . Batlyrics allows its users to search for song lyrics based on specific words or phrases together with its video.

How can I get started using Batlyrics ?

First go to Batlyrics main page and if you want to sign up and have your own account then you click on sign upNow you go to the search bar at the top of the page and tick “ lyrics words” then type in the words you want to see in your lyrics

As you type in you will see the possible phrases from the lyrics popping up

When you pick up your phrase you click on search and you will get a couple of results of lyrics and videos containing your phrases .For example, I typed in “forever gone” and clicked on search . This is what I would get .

Applications of Batlyrics in education

This is not a filtered site and you should never let students use it unsupervised . Make sure you monitor what students are looking for in their screens . Here are some ideas of how we can integrate Batlyrics in our classrooms :

Provide titles to students and let them search for the video and lyrics

Use it to find interactive listening materials to your classroom

Print the lyrics and use them with your students in activities such as multiple choice or gap filling

This is one of the important web2.0 tools i would highly recommend for educators .The Plagiarism Checker detects the plagiarized text or chunks of a text in your students assignments , essays, articles …ect . The advancement of technology and particularly the mobile one has really improved both our teaching and our students learning . The information has become accessible to whomever . With a single click , students will be able to download a whole ebook into their computers and exchange files and documents with a lightening speed . But I am afraid this technology boom has also brought around some negative sides . Students are more and more dependent on online resources to do their work which endangers their reflective thinking and creativity . We , as educators , should always be aware of these side effects and work hard to redress them as much as possible . In this regard , I present to you this web2.0 tool that will help you detect those students who rely on “ copy and paste”

How do I use The Plagiarism Checker ?

Just go to The Plagiarism Checker main page . You will find a box there where you can paste the suspected text or paragraph you have copied and click on “ check the paper” button and that’s it .

I know many of you will straight give a sigh of relief knowing the importance of this web2.0 tool , we all suffer from plagiarism and it is time to correct some of our students misbehavior .That’s it about The Plagiarism Checker in Education .

Here are all the educative web2.0 tools i have covered so far in this blog .I have organized them into different categories , select the category you want and explore the tools